(21)When She Was Gone by Gwendolen Gross

When She Was Gone 

by Gwendolen Gross

@GwendolenGross 

Publication Date:  March 19, 2013

Pages: 277

Buy it Here! 

Teenager Linsey Hart is just a day away from going off to Cornell for college when it is discovered that she is missing.  Her mother is devastated and will do anything to find her daughter safe and bring her home. She even goes door to door in their typical suburban neighborhood trying to illicit information from the neighbors who have their own deep dark secrets.  Will they risk their own secrets to help Abigail find her daughter?

Each chapter is told from the perspectives of the different families in the neighborhood.  Among the neighbors is Reeva, the desperate housewife who is having a torrid affair with the Barrista and Starbucks and Mr. Leonard the retired music teacher are just a couple of the neighbors. Will they provide the information Abigail needs in order to find Linsey?

When She Was Gone was an interesting read. We get to hear all about Linsey from all of her neighbors perspectives, but not once do we get to "hear" from Linsey.  Her neighbors are such an interesting group of characters, part Wisteria Lane and part Peyton Place.  I really felt bad for Linsey's mom, she obviously has had tragedy in her life and when Linsey comes up missing her grief and fear is palpable. You have to keep reading just to find out what happened to Linsey.  The ending was a bit disappointing because I expected more of the "why", but maybe that is part of the mystery - never fully getting the "why".

Bottom line,   When She Was Gone was a decent read.  The unique way the author set up the chapters certainly had me hooked, not to mention the other drama going on in the rest of the neighborhood.  And who doesn't like a little drama every now & then.